Love bears all things... And yet people can not even seem to handle having a difference of opinion between friends. Loves believes all things... And yet there is mistrust, doubt and bitterness rampant in many relationships. Love hopes all things... Yet there is less and less the ability for people to believe the best in people and circumstances or to find genuine joy for the success of others. Love endures all things... And yet people give up on each other every day. Love never fails...or does it? So what are we doing wrong? What is it we don't understand about love? The Bible does not say God is the source of love. It says God is love. We need to believe that, cling to it and invite His love to fill us so full that it moves right through us and into the people we encounter. If we do not have God, we do not have the love we need to care for the people around us.
Love does not mean we blindly believe in everything someone is doing, or that it will always be received and accepted in the way we would choose. We love because God loved us first, period, not for the response it creates...we leave that with God. By planting the seed of love in their lives we are planting God in them. Have you considered that?
So, we need to stop trying to love by our own power. Stop trying to change the world with only what we can emotionally muster on any given day. Instead, we should come regularly humble and broken to the foot of the cross allowing God's love not only to fill our hearts but to permeate every inch of our very being. So that the attributes of His love flow out - to the people around us. Sharing His love with them not because of how we feel about them, but because of how much we love God and how awestruck and thankful we are about how loved we are.
After all, if we push away and sever our relationships and ties with everyone who holds an opposing opinion to us or makes us uncomfortable, how will we ever have a chance to speak truth into their lives...how will they ever be exposed to taste of God's love, true love?
Let us secure a commitment in our hearts, even today, at this very moment to loving - loving everyone - because God loved us first, period. He loved us while we were still sinners, He loved us in our mess, and even now in our imperfection He loves us still.
This love requires that we stop seeing colour, race, class, attitude, circumstance, mental illness, addiction, life choice, and just see people who need love. This love means we stop assessing if someone deserves it, if they have 'got themselves in this mess', or if they will ever change, and just start loving on them.
Love isn't scheduled, planned and can often be inconvenient. Love however, is intentional. Remember, God is love, and there is no limitation on Him and how He chooses to give that love to us to have, and to share with others.
Everyday I pray God will blind me to what the world wants me to see in people and remind me every time I look at someone that I am to love them, that is all - not change them, just love them. Agree, disagree, same or different, kind or cruel, all I am asked to do is love them. And I pray and repent that it seems so hard to do, when so much love was extended to me.
Let us then choose to love them. Love them all! Every neighbour, colleague, family member and friend. Love the ones who are hard to love and the ones where we are left feel battered and bruised from the effort. Love them intensely, passionately and ask God to continually refill His love in us so that we can continue to share that love without ceasing.
Let us love them all.